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In a world of overcharged, under matured teenage angst, teenagers have a very small margin for success when it comes to relationships. If you have or are on your way to having a teenager who can’t wait to “date” then you need to tune into this episode.

As two parents who had a lot to figure out when it came to allowing our young ones to start a relationship. Megan and I talk about what our journey looked like when our “children” came desiring to date.

In this current cultural and political climate there are few topics as volatile as this, but Camille’s spirit and personal testimony are a shining example of the love and grace of God in the midst of a messy life.

At a young age, Camille was self-proclaimed, “boy crazy.” And even though she had a foundation in the gospel, this led to several poor decisions in her teenage years, which ultimately took her to the place of getting an abortion.

While there truly are battles to be fought in this life, too often we make mountains out of molehills. Homebirth vs. Hospital Birth, Homeschool vs. Public School, eating habits, clothing choices, the list goes on and on.

Have you ever looked at that other mother and thought, “If she only knew what I knew she’d be doing that differently?”

Maybe you have been on the other side and have the friend who, while well meaning, always has an unsolicited opinion about how you should be raising your family.

Let’s face it you have enough pressures being a mom that you certainly don’t need to borrow any more.

Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Today was one of those days where I was counting down the minutes until bedtime. If one more person under 3 feet tall says my name, I think I’m going to explode, and it isn’t going to be pretty. I tried to do all of the right things. I made sure that my quiet time was a priority, ate healthily, avoided sugar, and gave each kid undivided attention. But as the day draws to a close I am done.

Let’s face it not every day can be an exceptional day, even if we do all of the right things. We are a bunch of sinners living together in close spaces. As I sit down to gain some sanity at the end of my day, I remind myself of some truths, that I would like to share with you moms.

These days won’t last forever. Cherish the moments, yes even the bad ones. I often think of my mom, who lost my brother at the age of seventeen. For her even after a rough day, she would give anything to pick up after my brother again, to hear his loud voice, screams, or laughs.

My Grandma told me once that each day she would remind herself that tomorrow her kids were going to be a day older. How she spent her day determined whether that was something to be grateful for or sorrowful over.

Let’s face it not every day can be a beautiful day, even if we do all of the right things.

Mom’s each day is a gift, but it is not always easy to keep in perspective. We all get up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes, we all snap in the middle of the day, we all waste those precious final moments of the day vegging out in front of the TV.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We need to remind ourselves daily of the blessings that even the bad days can be. We need to carve out that time in the morning to set our minds and hearts on Jesus.

We need to reflect at the end of the day on whether or not our actions of the day our forwarding our walk in Christ or detracting from it.

Today on theOppermom I discuss the idea of S.C.U.P.L.T. with my father, Frank Zitzman. In case you haven’t heard the previous interview I did with him, talking about the loss of my brother Troy, I would encourage you to do so first to give context to this powerful acrostic.

In that interview, he briefly touched on the S.C.U.L.P.T. idea and went home afterward burdened that he didn’t get to expound on the verses that lead him to remember this easy yet powerful acrostic. He asked me if it would be possible for him to return and share more on this subject with my listeners, to which I quickly agreed.

While I pray you never have to experience the loss of a child the way my parents did, this idea of S.C.U.L.P.T. is still for you. At the root, it is a way to combat the moments in this life where we lose sight of who is in charge and why circumstances are not on what we should base our joy and hope.

On a fateful day in the summer of 2004, my parents faced the hardest thing any parent could imagine, the death of their child.

In a world where there are few answers, especially to life’s toughest questions, when this life-changing event happened it was to God and His Word that my parents looked to for strength.

If you have ever asked the question, “Why me God?”, then I highly encourage you to listen to today’s show as my mother and father talk about that day and how they were able to focus what comes next, not what might have been.

When I decided to spend this season bringing to you stories of hope and encouragement few stuck in my mind the way Hannah Dukes’ story had.

For every little girl who dreamed of one day walking the aisle to stand beside her prince charming this story is God’s answer to that dream in Hannah’s life.

At the same time, it is a reminder that it isn’t about the end of the story it is about the journey that it takes to get there and how God is more interested in changing and shaping us as we go, not delivering us to the alter.

Please join me and be touched by a woman who waited on the Lord, albeit not always patiently, and as our God always does, proved Himself faithful.

10 Free Apps to Organize Your Life

It’s a new year, and everyone is making their New Year’s resolutions in hopes that we can stick to them. But let’s be honest a year is a long time, and we will probably fail at each and every one of them. Don’t be discouraged, however, because the important thing is that we get back up and try again.

Today is the day to make a change. New years is a time for a fresh start. Most of us have eaten more than we should and have gotten out of our routines. But it’s time to get back to life.

To help you start the year off right I wanted to begin this year by giving you a list of apps that I use to my advantage almost every day. If you are like me, your phone goes most everywhere with you throughout the day and is one of our most underutilized tools. Sure it is great to scroll through Facebook or Instagram but can be so much more.

So, I wanted to help you get more from your phone and give you a base to start using apps to do your day well.

rest of the story. Once again theOppermanian joins us to help me tell my story about how the Lord used the seeds that my father had sown, in James, to bring me to salvation in Christ.

My husband and I talk about how the Lord used an ex-con to convert this honorary pastor’s kid. But the story doesn’t end there. Sadly, just as the Jews of old often forgot the Lord’s face, we talk about how even after a miraculous meeting and conversion sin reared its ugly head. And how this fairy tale had anything but a happily ever after.